Method and apparatus for controlling site-specific operations
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus for controlling a site-specific activity at a plurality of remote locations, for example, the inspection of geographically remote equipment or the gathering of data for a census. A mobile operator transports a portable tool ( 14 ) to a plurality of locations where a site-specific activity is to be conducted. The portable tool includes a location detection device ( 32 ). Processing of data using the portable tool is enabled only when the portable tool is located proximate a designated site, as determined by the location detection device. In various embodiments, the enabled site-specific activity may include data recordation, data transmission, data reception, data processing, and/or the display of a data entry form.
1. A method, comprising:
processing site-specific data if a location of a portable electronic tool is proximate to a designated site; and
preventing processing of the site-specific data if the location of the portable electronic tool is remote from the designated site, wherein the processing of the site-specific data comprises processing inspection data relating to equipment located at the designated site.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting information from the portable electronic tool to a location that is remote from the designated site after processing the site-specific data.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving information transmitted to the portable electronic tool from another location in response to a determination that the location of the portable electronic tool is proximate to the designated site.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying at least two or more of designated site-specific information, the inspection data, or equipment related information on the portable electronic tool.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising recording the inspection data in an inspection data recordation form displayed by the portable electronic tool.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising enabling a population of the inspection data into the inspection data recordation form only when the location of the portable electronic tool is proximate to the designated site.
7. A controller comprising:
a software code module for determining a current position of a device relative to a designated site;
a software code module for processing site-specific data in response to the position of the computing device being proximate to the designated site; and
a software code module for enabling selection and display of a data recordation form from a plurality of differing data recordation forms based on one or more of the designated site, the current position of the computing device relative to the designated site, equipment to be inspected at the designated site, or an inspection to be done on the equipment at the designated site.
8. The controller of claim 7 , further comprising a software code module that stores in memory information about at least one of the site-specific data or processed site-specific data.
9. The controller of claim 8 , further comprising a software code module for enabling transmission of the site-specific data from the controller to a remote location.
10. The controller of claim 8 , further comprising a software code module for enabling receiving data from a remote location.
11. The controller of claim 7 , further comprising a software code module for enabling display of designated site information in response to the position of the computing device being proximate to the designated site.
12. The controller of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the software code modules comprises required proximity values that are not the same as each other in at least two of three dimensions.
13. The controller of claim 7 , further comprising a software code module for preventing processing of the site-specific data when the position of the computing device is remote from the designated site.
14. A system, comprising:
a controller operable to:
process site-specific data of a site-specific operation if a location of a portable electronic tool is proximate to a designated site; and
prevent processing of the site-specific data if the location of the portable electronic tool is remote from the designated site,
wherein the site-specific operation comprises one or more of testing, maintenance, calibration, replacement, or repair of equipment located proximate to the designated site.
15. A system, comprising:
a controller operable to:
perform a site-specific operation if a location of a portable electronic tool is proximate a designated site; and
prevent performance of the site-specific operation if the location of the portable electronic tool is remote from the designated site,
wherein the site-specific operation comprises one or more of testing, maintenance, calibration, replacement, or repair of equipment located proximate to the designated site.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the site-specific operation comprises physical inspection by one or more of visual, mechanical, electrical, or chemical means.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the site-specific operation comprises one or more of inspecting, controlling, interviewing, data processing, or data handling.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the site-specific operation comprises one or more of data entry, data recordation, data sorting, data accessing, data recall, data transmittal, data reception, data manipulation, data correlation, data association, or display of derived data or derived information.
19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the controller is further operable to record temporal information related to arrival of the portable electronic tool at the designated site.
20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the controller is further operable to record temporal information related to a dwell time of the portable electronic tool at the designated site.
21. The system of claim 15 , wherein the controller is further operable to respond to setting of a proximity tolerance threshold value for distance of the portable electronic tool relative to the designated site by performing the site-specific operation only when the portable electronic tool is within the proximity tolerance threshold value.
22. The system of claim 15 , wherein the controller is operable to enable performance of:
a first group of site-specific activities at the designated site with relatively more broad proximity limits; and
a second, different group of site-specific activities at the designated site with relatively more narrow proximity limits.
23. The system of claim 15 , wherein the designated site is a multi-story building or structure.
24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the location of the portable electronic tool is proximate to the designated site when the portable electronic tool is within at least a vertical limit set to recognize a floor of the building or structure.
25. The system of claim 15 , wherein the designated site is associated with at least one horizontal limit set to permit the controller to differentiate between two or more locations at the designated site, and each of the two or more locations having one or more different site-specific activity.